Life is a gift, but we forget this and end up not being grateful. Observing life via the ego, we feel unhappy, hurt, and confused because we aren’t getting what we want. However, when we drop the ego, we are no longer in conflict with life, which allows the infinite whole to flow through us and us to flow with the whole.

To be whole, we have to be grounded on the outside—centered on earth—and at the same time flow freely in our inner world. Allowing the inner to flow and being grounded in outer reality is the blueprint for wholeness.

Life is a beautiful adventure to live in all its “unknowable knowingness.” The mind prompts us to erect barriers to protect us from the unknown, yet none of us know what’s going to happen next because freedom is unpredictable.

The capacity to be surprised is a great blessing. It enables us to move into the unknown with courage and feel the thrill and wonder of an extraordinary existence. We are simply asked to flow freely with it, weightless, trusting our inner reality. Then our outer expression becomes a reflection of this flow. Open to the unknown, we are excited and surprised by every moment, each of which ushers us into a greater life.

On the surface, it may seem as though life is full of suffering, pain, and misery, for which we can’t feel thankful. But at a deeper level, each moment unfolds for our spiritual growth. Once we understand this, we embrace every situation without resistance or complaint. Whether something is seemingly positive or negative, we feel grateful. Gratitude always arises when we align with the essence in all things. Experiencing and loving each moment means realizing nothing is lacking, nothing left out, and everything is as perfect as possible at this moment.

If we doubt the moment, we are too attached to outside phenomena and separated from existence. By trusting in the here and now, we automatically find ourselves in the universal flow. Gratitude spontaneously accompanies such spiritual maturity. Our whole being fills with the glory of it.

We do not “practice” gratitude. Rather, it’s a consequence of our trust in the whole. True gratitude cannot even be expressed because it’s beyond words. It’s an ecstasy of our being, the music of our stillness. When we feel the divine inside our One Self, gratitude floods our being, followed by a deep humility and peace.

The more we feel grateful for all of life, the more joy and creativity flow to and through us. Gratitude binds us in closer harmony with the creative energies of the infinite universe.